Teak-faced Ply and Lipping question...

[KevO]

I've got some 6mm teak-faced ply to make up a new mounting board for the chartplotter in the cockpit. The end grain of the ply board will be joined to 6mm x 20mm teak lipping glued to the board with epoxy (with microfibers added). The front face of the finished board will be woodskinned. I intend to seal the back of the ply with SP106 epoxy.

Question: Should I also seal the ply end-grain with a thin coat of epoxy before bonding the lipping to it? I assume it will help to seal the end grain and provide a better surface for the thickened epoxy adhesive mix to subsequently bond onto. Should I thin the 'coating' epoxy mix to help it penetrate and give a smoother finish? If so... what with?

 

[prv]

If I was making it then it might just get by with water-resistant wood glue and plenty of coats of varnish - but there's no question that epoxy will give a more waterproof result.

I would definitely paint on some unadulterated epoxy before applying the thickened mix. Easy enough to do - mix the resin and hardener, paint on, then add the fibres into the same pot. I've never seen a credible recommendation to thin epoxy - some people advocate mixing in meths, and then others who seem to know their stuff explain why this is a bad idea. If you really need soak-in-ness then there are special runny epoxies sold, but this would be overkill for your needs.

Pete

 

[oldbilbo]

If I was making it then it might just get by with water-resistant wood glue and plenty of coats of varnish - but there's no question that epoxy will give a more waterproof result.

I would definitely paint on some unadulterated epoxy before applying the thickened mix. Easy enough to do - mix the resin and hardener, paint on, then add the fibres into the same pot. I've never seen a credible recommendation to thin epoxy - some people advocate mixing in meths, and then others who seem to know their stuff explain why this is a bad idea. If you really need soak-in-ness then there are special runny epoxies sold, but this would be overkill for your needs.

Pete

Wot 'e said, doubled. But also....

Prior to applying your 'unadulterated epoxy', warm the ply considerably in way of where you intend to paint the gunk. A small fan heater will suffice. This will aid in driving out air and moisture. Apply gunk. As the substrate cools, it will draw in said gunk, achieving the objective.

 

[KevO]

Thanks chaps... Thats what I shall do then. :encouragement:

 

[nigelmercier]

Before you do any of this, check if the epoxy stains the wood black. Ask me how I know

 

[KevO]

Before you do any of this, check if the epoxy stains the wood black. Ask me how I know

:disgust: